Every organization has a leader, from presidents to department chiefs to CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, and even CROs (Chief Risk Officers). So what is a CLO? It’s the most important one of all: Chief Life Officer. It’s a position that is open in each of our lives but the one that’s least likely to be filled.
Many people live according to the wishes and desires of others, living with a sense that they don’t take enough charge. Some may take charge in one area of their life but let others slide. Others may simply let the winds of life decide their course. Wherever you are on the spectrum, there is often a lot of dissatisfaction with the perceived amount of day-to-day control. If you want to become more resilient to life’s challenges, it’s vital that you have a sense of internal control. It’s thought that strengthening internal control decreases burnout. Thinking of yourself as your CLO is a good way to strengthen this sense.
Becoming your own Chief Life Officer involves taking stock, thinking about what is most important to you, and questioning how you define success for yourself. It’s about aligning your life with your deepest values and claiming the meaning you want. Here are five key questions to help you build an individualized “job description” for your CLO.
- What are your core values? Is it having meaningful relationships?For many, the meaningful relationships in their lives are what they hold as most important. Or is it determination? Trust? Is it behaving with integrity, fighting injustice, appreciating nature, maintaining orderliness, or acting with compassion?A simple exercise you can do is to picture an experience where you feel you acted at your best. This could be anywhere — at work, on a vacation, or with family or friends. Take a few minutes to identify and recall that experience. See if you can relive it vividly, right now, mentally, physically, and emotionally. As you do so, focus on why you picked this particular experience. Notice what it was about how you acted that felt so right. Look at this list of values and notice which ones resonate for you. It’s the things you uphold when you’re acting at your best, as defined by you, that is your shortlist of core values.
- Are you living according to your own internal compass?Once you’ve established a clearer sense of what is most important to you, perform an internal “audit” to see whether you’re living in a way that is aligned with your core values. Look over the past few weeks of your life. Did you act according to what’s most deeply important to you? Look at what’s on your calendar for the week ahead. Can you think about how really living these values can help you with tasks and challenges? The more you can uphold what is truly important to you, the more you’ll be in the driver’s seat of your life, and the more you’ll feel proud of your actions, small or large.
- How do you define success for yourself? For many of us, much of our sense of success has been built on external measures or what we think others expect of us. It’s all too easy to follow the path we believe we should follow rather than the one we truly want. We may base our sense of self on external parameters such as job stature or expectations from others. Take time to notice which successes truly matter to you and which ones don’t. Establishing your own definition of success allows you to find happiness, satisfaction, and more fulfilling life. Wherever you are on your life path, your CLO can help take you a few steps further.
- What’s your vision of your life? When you think about who you are at your best, what is it that you offer to the world? We each bring unique gifts, strengths, and talents to our community, workplace, and to those around us. At times you may feel small or like you have little control over your life. In reality, though, you are the only person who has control over your own mind and over your actions. If you don’t develop and pursue your own vision, you can be sure that no one else will. One way to develop your vision is to think about who you want to be in the future. Jump ahead five years and picture what you want your life to look like. Combine your core values, your definition of success, and your uniqueness. Let yourself think large. Take some time this week to think about what you dream about achieving and about what legacy you want to leave. Begin writing your personal vision statement.
- Are you spending time in ways that reflect what’s truly important to you? When you’re clearer about your vision, you can think more about how you spend your time and make more mindful choices. Although you may be working more than you’d like or doing many things you need to do to stay afloat, being in touch with your CLO helps you carve out time each and every week to move closer to the things that are truly important in your life. It may be only a few minutes, but it’s critical that you delegate where possible, say “no” to extras, and say “yes” to things that are in alignment with your life vision.
It’s hard work and takes a lot of practice, but it’s your life we’re talking about here. What could be more important?
As with any new position, there’s a learning curve to becoming your CLO. It won’t happen overnight. It’s a process of self-examination, self-awareness, and intentionality in your actions. What step can you take today to begin to fill this vital role? If you don’t fill this role, who will?
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